Teaching Ethics In High School: A Deweyan Challenge

What is ethics? According to Velasquez et al (2010), “ethics is a well-founded standard of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations,

First, it is important to define ethics and how its components play an extensive role in our society. The term ethics is defined as “Moral principles that govern a person 's behaviour or the conducting of an activity.” (Oxford); ethical decisions are the ones that per se determine whether or not murder is wrong. Likewise, ethics consists of different ramifications and perspectives from many philosophers. Moreover,

According to Merriam-Webster, ethics is defined as an area of study that deals with ideas about what is good and bad behavior. Some would argue that definition is rather vague. A more complete understanding of ethics would suggest that it is more than just an area of study but rather a way of life; moral principles that govern a person's or group's behavior. If one is ethical and has good moral standards, it is usually seen in that person. Simply put, ethics could be considered the standards of behavior as to which society accepts.

What exactly does the term “ethics” mean? When asking this question among several different groups of people, I’m sure all of their answers would be different in many ways, but would all draw the general theme that ethics is somewhat of a study of what is right and what is wrong. This is a mostly correct conclusion, except for the fact that it encompasses not only determining what is right and wrong, but attempting to systemize and defend those ethical positions which one holds. Almost all of the controversial headlines you see in the media today involve some sort of question of ethics. Abortion. Healthcare. (“Should we take money from the rich and give to the poor to pay for medical expenses?”) Gun laws. Euthanasia, etc. The topic I want

C.S Lewis once said, “Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.” Ethics, defined by Merriam-Webster, is a “set of moral principles.” Ethical behavior should create an ideal learning environment that builds the foundation of an ethical environment. The experience gained in an ethical AP English classroom will greatly affect the student’s future. Education is not limited to academic study, but is rather the holistic growth of a human being.

According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, ethics is defined as “moral principles that govern a person’s or group’s behavior.” Therefore, in an ideal world, ethics should play the ultimate role when making a decision. If ethics are the principles which guides one’s behavior then, ideally, all decisions should be made entirely based on ethics. Unfortunately, such is not always the case.

We experience many ethical issues throughout our lives, sometimes on a daily basis. Some teach us how to act, while others teach us how not to act. Despite seeing them so often, many of us fail to acknowledge them. Although, sometimes we do and we retain them for the rest of our lives. One ethical issue I have experienced is the treatment and opportunities students at Cookeville High School receive, compared to those of Upperman High School.

To me, ethics cannot really be taught though it can be initiated. People who do not have some ethics in them can be helped to incorporate it in their daily activities. This can be

Ethics refers to a system of moral standards that guide the decision for human conduct of what is right and wrong based on everyday life situations, usually in terms rights, obligations, benefits, fairness, or virtue. Ethics is used as a formal guideline for conducting business in order to minimize pain to the greater number of people as a whole. The principles of ethics come from the knowledge and understanding of the word of God, the Bible. It tells us how we ought to think and behave toward one another considering first, how we want to be treated. For instance, we have the right to freedom of speech as long as we don’t insult the integrity of others. In addition, God gives us examples for how make right decisions and

I was asked to provide an ethics curriculum for the children in our school because of complaints from some parents in regards to classroom behaviors and children’s attitudes. “When we think about the kind of character we want for our children, it’s clear that we want them to be able to judge what is right, care deeply about what is right, and then do what they believe to be right—even in the face of pressure from without and temptation from within.”(Elkin,2004) I propose to include character education in the curriculum. This will allow students to work together as groups, opportunities to make classroom rules, discuss situations in books where the main character maybe “right or wrong”, discuss different ways situations can be handle in every classroom as they study different topics, and give them some community service work to do. The students will have the opportunity to use their critical thinking skills while learning, engaging, and expressing feelings of their own through the interaction in the classroom. They will learn to use these skills throughout their lives and feel more confident in themselves. At the end of this experiment students will become more happy and less negative behavior in the classroom. “This means that equal amounts of happiness always count equally; nobody’s well-being matters more just because he is rich, let’s say, or powerful, or handsome.” (Rachels, 2012)

By reflecting the importance and challenges of blending ethics in education, steps can be further taken to improve education in the future. Although it is tough to ensure that ethics is being taught completely to the students, but the efforts in teaching ethics still need to be taken seriously. Despite the challenges of infusing ethics in education, ethical education plays a part in developing well-rounded students, the building blocks of our nation. Last but not least, we hope that ethical education shapes a better

Ethics refer to the rules and guidelines for differentiating between right and wrong behavior. Individuals may reach common understandings on some ethical norms but interpret them differently

There are many people who are willing to help a student increase his or her knowledge on ethics and morals. The author of “The Unacknowledged Ethicists on Campuses,” David A. Hoekema talks about three groups that helps students understand the importance of morals and ethics. Those groups are professors, student-life administrators, and student leaders. Members from each of these groups work together to help students increase their behavior and use their skills and abilities to reach success. “hold themselves responsible for preparing engaging lectures, setting challenging assignments, and keeping their own intellects continually sharpened by research and scholarship” Hoekema 456. The people from Hoekema’s group sacrifice their time teaching students about ethics and morals from their busy schedule. The students have to understand and appreciate those people’s hard work. A person cannot teach ethical behavior like they teach math or history. It is not a subject. It is part of who a person is. Even though there are people at universities to help a student to understand the importance of ethics and morals, they cannot teach it like a subject. The reason why a person should behave ethically is

Ethics are moral principles or values that govern the conduct of an individual or a group.It is not a burden to bear, but a prudent and effective guide which furthers life and success. Ethics are important not only in business but in academics and society as well because it is an essential part of the foundation on which a civilized society is built.

Ethics is the branch of philosophy that deals with the principles correlated to human behavior concerning the rightness and wrongness of specific conduct, and to the good and bad that influences and ends those actions (Ditonary.com, 2011). In other words, ethics is the choice people effect in regards to a decision they need to achieve. Without ethics directing the choice an individual makes, moral preferences of what should or should not be done becomes irrelevant. While ethical decisions are made every day there are two different regions in which these choices are made.